Made in Chelsea

Since the trend of The Hills began in the USA started a few years ago, we have seen a number of spin offs and then some imitations. There was The City and others that don't deserve memory. The genre of faux reality then made it across the pond to brighten our TV screens with the televisual event of 2010 - The Only way is Essex. TOWIE (as it has become known in the glossy mags) was cringe worthy, terribly shot, idiotic and mind numbing, yet it won a place in the nations heart because of relatability and the fact that you could sneer at the TV screen on your high horse. Made in Chelsea, however, is everything that TOWIE is apart from the lovability. The characters (sorry, REAL PEOPLE) are genuine arses who lack any of the wonderful absent mindedness which attracts us to the Essex based variant. A very good example would be on TOWIE, when a group of the subjects go on a poorly planned camping trip and hilarity inevitably ensues. The contrasty on MIC involves some very rich frolicking in Cannes. Most of us have had bad camping experiences which we can look back on with a smile, but the fact that this supposedly reality based show takes their minions to a place which few of us could afford to buy a beer, alienates the viewer to the point of no return.

This programme is genuinely awful. If you would like a TV show to numb your mind after a day at work, watch TOWIE, or better still, something with a script......wait..

Whilst some of the individuals featured are probably interesting people, the format of the show reduces everyone to two-dimensional pawns in an endless incestuous dating circle.

The haze of sepia, the indie pop soundtrack and the choice tracking shots of posh London suburbs all serve to lend this a veneer of class and style, but there's nothing of substance underneath.

The cast seem content to appear as empty-headed, simplistic and egotistical people, in exchange for a presumably large sum of money. Every episode is so bloody tedious and the producers so lacking in creativity that the only variable is who is shagging who behind who's back.

Waste of television.

This TV show is dire, it is terrible, I do not like most of these Soap opera type of shows these days, but this is a whole new level of BAD. While most soap operas have some sort of engaging theme or interesting scenes with some action. Made in Chelsea has nothing, it is literally just endless conversations with occasional swear words just jotted throughout the dialogue. I am not joking when this is what happens in the show: 80% talking, 15% crying, 4% music and 1% where anything interesting happens. Most of the plot lines are usually recycled from other soap operas like Eastenders. This show is right at the bottom of the pecking order.

TL;DR Nothing happens in this show, it feels like someone just taped a conversation and told the head of Channel 4: "this is a great new soap opera we have made", and seeing as channel 4 are so desperate they have no choice but to approve it for viewing

3/10 for Terrible. DO NOT WATCH!

I like the cinematography (and filming locations), cast, and the storylines are mostly entertaining. (Some episodes feel like 'filler' episodes, but that's to be expected with shows that air so frequently.) I think the format & structure of the show really works, and continues to be entertaining over the years. In particular - I find that a lot of the conversations are relatable and are reminiscent of conversations I've had with friends, and situations that have occurred in reality (especially when I was at uni). So there's a lot of interesting themes for people that have an outgoing social life. The only advice I would give, is that a lot of the relationships are starting to feel like incest i.e. they're all dating each others ex's. I'm not sure if this means they need to re-jig the cast a little. But at the moment I like most of the cast members.

As a final note - I think it really skews the rating when *some* people that clearly don't like reality TV, come here to give it a bad rating. Specifically, the content of their feedback is rarely beneficial or constructive.

There are many different types off shows out there. If you are looking for an action packed thriller then obviously this is not the right show for you...When rating a TV show, we are comparing it to other TV shows we have watched, how interesting we found it, and how entertaining it was. MIC is funny and sometimes silly, which serves as a good contrast to a very different show like Game of Thrones which is very serious. It is not particularly academic except in teaching one ways not to live, it doesn't tease the brain, and it doesn't leave one marvelling at the acting genius. However it is a decent watch which is just fun and keeps the audience entertained. The flamboyant lifestyles portrayed are enviable and if you cannot watch a show without feeling anger towards wealthier people then...don't watch it. I would recommend this show if you are sitting at home, bored and looking for a series to start watching. It can be funny and I genuinely have enjoyed watching thus far. Some people criticise the show because they say it is scripted. To make a show entertaining there are certain guidelines a director might propose but the show is not fully scripted, in that the speech of the actors has not fully been premeditated by someone else.